Lithographic process.



UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CARL H. PRINKE OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

LITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0; 694,574, dated March 4, 1902. Application filed June 10, 1901. Serial No. 64,042. (No specimens.)

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL H. PRINKE, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing in the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lithographic Processes, of which the following is a specification.

In lithographic processes ordinarily a tracing in outline of the design or painting to be copied is made on a sheet of gelatin by means of a needle 01' sharp-pointed tool. These outlines are inked and transferred to a plate made of lithographic stone, zinc, aluminium, celluloid, or the like, ordinarily called a keyplate, from which a number of impressions are Obtained, corresponding to the number of colors to be produced in the subsequent process of printing from the several printingplates used. These impressions are dusted over with chalk, usually red chalk, and these are applied to a series of printing-plates, corresponding in number with the colors to be produced. By this means a series of plates all having the design thereon in red chalk are obtained. The artist then by means of lithographic ink or crayon draws in on each of these plates the appropriate portion of the design or painting corresponding with the color to be produced on such surface, referring constantly to the original design or painting before him as a guide. When all of the plates have been thus prepared, each surface is etched and rolled up or otherwise suitably prepared for printing. By this means each plate will be made to contain the design or a portion of the design in relief, and the series of plates will together contain the finished design in relief. By printing from the several surfaces in succession with different-colored inks the original design or painting may be reproduced .in colors on paper an indefinite number of times.

Thelithographic process above described is the one commonly employed. Others have been suggested and many have been tried, but the one referred to has heretofore been found most satisfactory.

The object of my invention is to simplify processes of this kind and render them more expeditious and less expensive.

According to my improved process I trace the design or painting on thin transparent plates of celluloid, prepared in an improved way, directly by means of crayons or pen, brush, or the like, using lithographic ink or so'called rubbing ink. The design or painting thus traced is then transferred from the celluloid tracing-plates to plates of lithographic stone, zinc, or .the like, from which the printing is done Without first forming a key and making impressions from which to produce a series of other copies of the design or painting to be worked up by the artist, as above described. Instead of transferring from the celluloid tracing-plates directly to the printing-plates,I may transfer from the tracing-plates to transfer -paper and then apply the design or painting to the print-ingplates by means of the transfer-paper. Tracing-plates corresponding in number with the colors in the painting or design may be used, each to have traced on it the appropriate portions of the design, or the same tracing-plate may be used to trace all the different colors, being of course cleaned each time after having transferred the portion of the painting previously copied to the printing-surface.

Of course when the design or painting is in one color only one tracing-plate is required.

In preparing the tracing-plate I take a thin sheet of transparent celluloid and on one side I produce a grained surface suitable to retain the marks of the lithographic crayon, pen, airbrush, or the like. I do this by first rubbing off the smooth surface of the celluloid sheet on one side with dry pumice-stone or powdered pumice, and after this I grain the surface thus treated with the pumice by rubbing with powdered emery or sand. The grained surface may be obtained in other ways than that described; but I consider the process of forming the grained surface above referred to the best. Both sides of the sheet may be grained, if desired. After the grained surface is formed the plate is washed or cleaned to remove all foreign substances, and it is then thoroughly dried. The plates should be thin and sufficiently transparent to enable the tracer to readily see the painting or design through the material and follow the fine lines.

I will now describe the manner in Which the plates thus prepared are used in my improved process. A plate is placed over the design or painting to be copied, with the polished surface next to the design or painting. A portion of the design or painting is then traced by drawing or painting in on the grained surface by means of lithographic crayons, or by pen and lithographic ink, or by brushes and lithographic ink, or by rubbing-ink, or other substances having similar properties. Other portions of the design are traced in a similar manner on other similar plates. After the design or painting is thus traced I may take impressions from the tracing-plates on transfer-paper, or I may transfer from the plates directly to the printingsurfaces.

In proceeding according to the first plan I first etch each plate having the design or painting traced thereon by means of any suitable etching material. Each plate thus prepared may be secured to anysuitable support, such as a stone or plate of any suitable material, so that it will lie perfectly fiat. The plate is then washed out with turpentine or other well-known substance used for such purposes and is then rolled up. After this a print is made on transfer-paper, and then the portion of the design or painting which the transfer-paper contains is transferred to a lithographic stone or other suitable plate, from which the final printing is done.

When proceeding according to the second plan above referred to, instead of using transfer-paper I transfer to lithographic stones or other plates or lithographic surfaces by laying each celluloid tracing-plate with the design or a portion of the design thereouon an ordinary lithographic stone or other plate prepared in the usual way to receive a drawing or design, and by means of a hand-press the drawing or design is transferred from the celluloid plate to the stone or printing-plate. From the series of stones or plates the printing is subsequently done by using differentcolored inks in the manner heretofore practiced.

It is sometimes desirable in order to obtain a more perfect impression to dampen the celluloid plate in order to moisten the lithographic crayon or ink just before it is applied to the printing-surface. hen the design is transferred to the stone or plate, as above described, the latter is gummed and then rolled up. It is then rosined and slightly etched and then the stone or plate is ready for printing in the usual way.

The grained celluloid plates may be retained for the purpose of obtaining future copies of the design or painting, or the same plate maybe used a number of times for copying a series of drawings. One sheet of celluloid may be used to make all the plates of a water-color design, the celluloid plate being successively cleaned and,if necessary, grained again each time that it is used.

WVhile I have described celluloid as the substance to be employed, I wish it understood that I contemplate using other substances having the same properties of celluloid so far as such properties relate to my improved process.

In the claims whereI speak of transferring the design from the celluloid plate to a lithographic printing-surface I mean to include either transferring from the celluloid plate directly or indirectly to the stone or other similar printing-surface or transferring to such stone or plate through the medium of transfer-paper.

I claim as my invention 1. The process herein described, consisting in tracing a design or painting, or a portion thereof, on the grained side of a plate of thin transparent celluloid, transferring the design from the celluloid plate to a lithographic printing-surface, and then preparing said surface for printing.

2. The process herein described, consisting in tracing a design or painting or a portion thereof, on the grained side of a thin plate of transparent celluloid, transferring the design therefrom to transfer-paper, then transferring from such paper to a lithographic printing-surface, and then preparing said surface for printing.

3. The process herein described, consisting in tracing a design or painting, or a portion thereof, on the grained side of a thin plate of transparent celluloid, etching the celluloid plate with the design thereon, then transferring the design from the celluloid tracingplate to transfer-paper, and then applying the transfer-paper to a lithographic stone or similar printing-surface.

4. The process herein described consisting in tracing from the orignal design or painting or a copy thereof by means of lithographic crayons or ink the design, or diflerent portions thereof on the grained sides of thin transparent plates of celluloid, transferring said designs thus traced to printing-surfaces corresponding in number to the colors to be printed and then printing from said last-mentioned plates in different colors substantially in the manner set forth.

5. A plate for use inlithographic processes, consisting of a thin transparent sheet of celluloid having one side prepared to receive lithographic crayon or ink by being grained, substantially as described.

6. A plate for use in lithographic processes, consisting of a thin transparent sheet of celluloid having one side grained, with a design thereon, and etched, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CARL H. PRINKE.

\Vitnesses:

' G. W. KOHLMANN,

MAX WEIssuNnoRN.

IIO 

